Honolulu Nights
by Random Princess Kinakakil
Summary: AU:The retelling of another story using our beloved pair When 18-year-old Lilo and faithful friend Stitch go on a little vacation to Honolulu to see the opening of a monumental building, they get more than they bargained for...More inside.........on pause
1. Ziggurats and Memories

Honolulu Nights  
  
A retellling of the Anime 'Metropolis' with an extremely large twist.  
  
Summary: The Honolulu Tower, also known as the Ziggurat of the Pacific, designed by a man called Duke Red, is built, connecting to many of the buildings in the buisness district creating one extremely large building. Eighteen-year-old Lilo and faithful friend Stitch go on vacation to Honolulu to see it alone, but come across more than they originally bargained for...you don't need to know Metropolis to read this. The inspiration for this fan fic came from the fact that the two stories are alike in so many aspects that they were just BEGGING to be crossed over in a retelling. More about this can be found in the authors' notes, bottom of this page. But for the full production notes, you must wait until you finished the entire story. And that's not exactly happeing in five seconds.  
  
Let's begin!  
  
"At this moment, we as a nation are about to touch the stars,  
I tremble at the honor of announcing the culmination of the long history of mankind's intellectual and scientific achievement, Yesterday, our powers spanned the earth, Today, it can illuminate the heavens! May it stand forever, Our Ziggurat!!!!"  
  
Cheers came from the semi-cluttered buisness district below the towering building, its many towers glistening the the wake of thousands of golden fireworks going up in beautiful shimmering showers. News teams cluttered to get into the exclusive party being held inside, their microphones coming before the welfare of their prim and prime gowns. Around the outer part of the parameter were thousands of people looking up at the spectacular two-hundred story building, gaping in amazement.  
"Lilo, I have never seen a building this big!" remarked Stitch, sitting on Lilo's head. She was weighed down with luggage and was not really very mobile, but she could still see some of the building.  
"It looks pretty big...Stitch, we can look at it tommorrow, it's late and we have to take our bags to the hotel."  
Stitch sighed in dissapointment, but gave in.  
"Alright..." he whined. "We can--"  
There was a gunshot, and something fell from high up.  
"What was that?!" Lilo exclaimed, jumping a bit. Stitch shrugged.  
"Not sure..."  
Out of nowhere a boy ran, chasing the thing that fell--that now got up--and started shooting at it. It fell once again, a shower of sparks signifying its defeat. The boy gave a victorious smile and walked off, triumphant. Lilo and Stitch were somewhat shocked at what had happend in front of them, blinking confusedly.Lilo was the first to speak.  
"What just happened?"  
Stitch gave some sort of odd chuckle.  
"The boy shot that robot down."  
"Right. You want to go back to the hotel now?"  
"Yhea."  
  
  
***********  
  
There was a very refined ruckus happening inside the Ziggurat as the press and many of the richer inhabitants of Hawaii awaited the arrival of the architect of the building they were now standing in, the infamous Duke Red. Known for his architectual genius and even more so for his unusualy large nose, the man was a billionaire that everyone seemed to love. He adored children and was a strange mix between extremely humble and extremely proud. People thought that he should run for president! The cheers hightened as he came down the stairs accompanied by the governor, Ashley Smith, and the Mayor, Jamie Sholtz, also known as James. The press was in a rush.  
"Mr.Red, are you going to be running for president?"  
The Duke gave a smile, and made a simple gesture of humility. "Of course not." he said. "I'm definetly not qualified for the job, I'm just an architect. But if you must know what I'm going to be doing, I plan to settle down and live here in the Ziggurat."  
"Sir, is it true that you are still single after the death of your wife and daughter in that fire five years ago?"  
Red blushed.   
"Actually, I'm still recovering from the loss. I am still single, but I plan to start dating again soon. Anything more related to our fine building or government?"  
There was a fit of laughter in the press box and on the ballroom floor.  
"I have heard that there is some sort of military weapon on top of this building. Is this true?"  
The Duke looked as if he was giving some sort of thought, then he looked back at the crowd.  
"That seems to be a popular rumor, and actually, I don't know what they put on top of this building. That was left to the secretary of defence, Miss Luana."  
"Isn't she a bit young to be in charge of the government's military?"  
"She's a genius--not only a military genius, but a genius! I wouldn't be suprised if there was some sort of cloning machine up there. Just because someone's under twenty that doesn't mean they're stupid. The world is changing."  
Mumbling overtook the hall, and the Duke once again smiled warmly at the Ziggurat guests.  
"What are you all doing? This is an opening party, not a function to gawk at me!"  
More laughter filled the hall and the people began to mingle.  
  
************  
  
  
Lilo and Stitch were very tired, but still a bit excited from their nightime visit to the Ziggurat. If anything, they wanted to go back as soon as they could. Stitch was hungry and lying on the bed, looking at Lilo with the very look of hunger in his eyes. Sighing, Lilo went to go fetch the alien something from the in-room bar, sifting through the mounds of snacks kept in it. She took up a bag of chips and a candy bar, handing them to Stitch along with a can of sprite. Picking up her bag, she went into the bathroom and changed her clothes, making a pot of coffee afterward and plopping onto the bed with Stitch. Unlike the people at the Ziggurat at the moment, they were not in the mood to party.  
"What wrong?" asked Stitch. His improved grammar was wonderful to Lilo...it was much easier to talk to him when he wasn't refering to himself in the third person.  
"I'm tired...and a bit disturbed. Who can use a gun like that, eh?"  
"That boy..." Stitch sipped on his sprite and popped a chip into his mouth. "Lilo, why don't you turn on the news?"  
"Good idea." grabbing the remote on the hotel nightstand, Lilo flipped to her favorite local news channel, where they were showing the Duke again.  
"Hey, look..." remarked Stitch. "That's the guy who's family died in that big fire near our house remember?"  
"Oh yhea! I remember now. They were really rich and had that nice little blonde girl with the green eyes...?"  
"Tina?"  
"No, Tima, I think...they had the really big funeral, and we went too because we were good friends with the girl and were always at their house...Tima...is correct..." Lilo frowned.  
"That's right." Stitch said. "The Ziggurat was designed by the Duke, you know."  
"He designed that big building? Wow...."  
"He's a genius, but they say that the death of his family drove him mad."  
"He doesn't look crazy."  
"Nobody looks crazy."  
"I guess you're right...Stitch, aren't you tired?"  
"Yes, I'm tired, but not tired enough."  
"I see." Lilo stood and went over to the balcony, which was facing townward. Upon opening the curtain that shrouded the outside from the inside, she was floored at the view. she was looking at an extremely huge building on the typical town skyline, glowing golden. She didn't realize it was THAT big.  
"Do you think we should visit him, Stitch?"  
"Huh?"  
"Visit Duke Red. We're family friends, aren't we? We were like his kalabash kids."  
"I'm not human."  
"I forget you aren't...well, you were his kalabash alien."  
Stitch chuckled strangely again.  
"I guess we could visit him, but they wouldn't let us near him."  
"You're right...we could have his secretary ask him if he knows us."  
"His secretary probably has a secretary."  
Lilo giggled. A secretary having a secretary... you know you're rich when that happens. She sat back down on the bed and sighed. She hadn't seen that man since he moved from his house nearby her own...there was a huge fire, and his wife and daughter couldn't get out. They both died in the blaze not of burns but smoke inhalation, and were recovered in the basement-typed den, where they were supposed to be spending the night as they did almost every friday night. Lilo had been down there a few times, and she knew that there were no windows and only one door, so they were trapped. By the time they figured out the house was on fire, there was nothing they could do. Tima was found on the couch, nestled in her mother's arms, glassy green doll's eyes wide open and sleeping at the same time. Lilo still remembered when the firefighters came out with Tima...they didn't have anything over her, they just had her...her head was hanging limp over the firefighter's arm, and her eyes seemed as if they shifted in Lilo's general direction. That's when she ran back to her own house--seeing one of her friends being carried off to be autopsyed was too much. Her breathing quickened and she bursted into her bedroom, crying. Stitch instinctively came to comfort her, and soon found out why she was crying. It was a black day for the unbreakable ohana...in a town as small as the one Lilo lived in, everyone was family. Even if she sometimes forgot names, that was because she wanted to forget something...she had tried to forget Tima on purpose...but nobody was supposed to be forgotten. How could you forget that stare, anyawy? That blank, glassy stare, and the tear-streaks under the orbs that shone a somewhat more peaceful form of horror...like knowing you were going to die, but not being afraid--being sad...or was that the other way around? Lilo didn't know. But what she did know was that she had to talk with the Duke somehow.  
"Lilo?"  
"Huh?"  
"You went blank. Is something wrong?"  
"Nothing. I was just thinking about Tima."  
"Oh..."  
"You know, I tried to forget her, because of how she--how they were carrying her out. It was like she was looking at me, and asking me to help her..."  
"There was nothing you could do, Lilo."  
"She was my first really real friend after you! She looked after me from the fourth grade all the way up to the nineth grade, when the fire happened. And I wasn't there when she needed me...I wished that I could have gone back in time and tried to warn them. I wished that she would come back. I waited for days hoping she would just come over and knock on my door; and when they buried her, I was hysterical, because if she did come back to life, she would die anyway...then I remembered what they did to bodies..."  
Stitch nodded. Lilo was talking in circles, which was not a good sign. This outburst was Stitch's fault for asking her to put on the T.V., but for some reason, he felt that this was good for Lilo. Maybe not? On nights like this, minds are full of questions, and interruptions are not key to finding answers. the alien sighed.  
  
This was going to be a long vacation.  
  
AN: Sorry about how short that was...I'm in a bit of a muck. The paragraph (I call it THE paragraph...the really fat one about the past) is meant to be somewhat poetic and run in circles like...hmm...like angsty thought, I think. I'm not really sure why I just get all poety-like like that, but it helps. Maybe I'm a really distant relative of Tolkien? *Laughs* Not. Well, I guess I'll be writing more, because the story is SO not done. And if you've seen Metropolis, you now know what EXTREMELY LARGE TWIST means. *Smiles even wider* Lilo and Stitch AU...redefined. The thing about 'Metropolis' and 'Lilo and Stitch' is that they are both about finding out where you belong, but there are WAY more similarities than that...there's a doctor like Jumba in Metropolis, and he even looks somewhat like him! but don't worry, I'm pretty sure they're not copying off each other because Metropolis was written way before most people who are 40 were born. And the story was different. Stitch was made in 1983. And his story was REALLY different. Relax. Kick it. Uh. 


	2. Dreams of Light Through Chaos

Chapter Introduction: A few more Tima-esque things happen in this chapter, but thankfully, this is the last memory/dream/excessive Tima thought chapter, because something happens.(Yay!No more Tima overdosing after this!) Hold on though, because this is going to get a little confusing...but it's only for this chapter.(Lucky you!) Oh, and I forgot...I don't own Metropolis or Lilo and Stitch! I kind of wish I did, though...  
  
Let's begin!  
  
***************  
  
Lilo was fourteen again and running down a path with Tima, and they were giggling merrily. Lilo had on white capri pants and a red shirt printed with tiny white flowers, and Tima was dressed in silk black dress. the sun was shining brightly, and flowers seemed to spring up from nowhere. Stitch joined the run, and a building began to form in the distance. At first it just looked like a broken down hut, but as they got closer, they realized that it was the Ziggurat, only looking small because it was so far away. Tima took the lead, smiling. Her green eyes sparkled with joy as she beckoned her companions onward.  
"Let's go!"  
The group picked up the pace, mixed colors and half-used sounds flying by them with incredible speed as the unbroken image of the Ziggurat edged nearer. Upon the steps which lead to the entrance, the Duke was sitting, also dressed in black. His face was in his hands and he was sobbing, almost hysterical. As Lilo paused to look at the forelorn figure, she noticed that Tima had gone, and Stitch was quite confused.   
As if called by a force that she could not fight, Lilo picked up Stitich and entered the Ziggurat. Soft music filled the air as a cold chill ran down her spine and she was greeted with the smell of flowers and heavy perfume. Each step resounding, she made her way to the center of the room where there seemed to be some sort of soft blue light, calling to her, asking for her to come nearer...  
As she approached the light she noticed that it was coming from some sort of box...a crystal box, sitting neatly in the center of a large Metropolis seal. She became uneasy as she edged up to the side of the box and peered in, coming upon the sleeping image of Tima, perfect and unscratched. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was emotionless and stiff, as if it had been drawn on with a ruler. She was cold, and without a heartbeat--needless to say, she was dead. But Lilo didn't seem to mind, she stared at the body for what seemed like an eternity. As long as Tima wasn't underground, she was fine.  
And as Lilo was taking in the image of her dead friend, she neglected to notice what she was doing, and the eyes of the body eased open, and those glassy green doll eyes that the dead bodies of all the Red family deceased have until the worms make their meal or their very juices devour them. Tima sat up, and Lilo jumped back with a start, afraid. Silent and sad, Tima turned to her old friend and opened her mouth, speaking five simple yet heartbreaking words and breaking the peaceful half-silence of her guilded tomb with a sharp thrust of a silver sword.  
"Why didn't you save me?"  
The world went into chaos around Lilo, and Stitch appeared, Lilo didn't know how, standing on Tima's lap. He was emotionless and stared into nothing with Tima, who put her arms around him. Everything was on fire and black smoke filled the room.  
"One more chance." Stitch whispered, as everything dissapeared beneath the smoke and flame. "One more chance to do what you have to."  
The wail of fire-truck alarms filled the room, blending with the chaos. Through the ominous sirens there was a voice, broken and bleeding, utterly torn by grief.  
"TIMA!"   
Followed by sobbing, the Duke's voice echoed like a bad memory, rattling everything. The fire, the slowly crumbling Ziggurat...  
"One more chance."  
  
  
All those happy childhood moments flashed by in a ten-second movie...then it was over.  
  
  
  
**********  
  
Lilo awoke with a start. She had never had a dream that scared her so much, not to mention a dream about Tima. Next to her, Stitch was curled up on a pillow, half-snoring half-purring. He never had dreams like that. Being careful not to wake her friend, Lilo stood up and made her way to the mini-bar again to make another pot of coffee. The other pot was emptied the other night as she and Stitch decided how they were going to try and talk to the Duke. The pair had decided that they were going to go to the Ziggurat that day and try to get to him by talking to lots of secrataries slowly edging their way to the top. But breakfast had to be taken care of first, and that could not be taken care of in the hotel room. Lilo grabbed her bag and turned to see that Stitch was now awake and scratching his head, looking very much ready for breakfast.  
"Good morning, Stitch."  
The alien mumbled softly in his own language, and hopped off the bed. "Lilo." he said. "Breakfast."  
Lilo laughed.  
"We're going to go to L&L's. A *Loco Moco is good energy for before talking to many, many secretaries."  
Stitch grunted in agreement, then made his way to the mini-bar. He poured himself a premature cup of coffee after making quick work of the climb to the counter, and drank it down in about five seconds-black. He was pretty much normal Stitch after that.  
"Lilo, will you hurry?"  
"Oh, someone's anxious today."  
"I can't keep still...for...much long...hurry!"  
  
**********  
  
Duke Red looked over the many pictures of his daughter and her friends crowding his desk. He picked up one in particular, smiling. It was a picture of his daughter, Tima, with freinds Lilo and Stitch, sitting in front of he and his wife.  
"Soon, my dear..." he said, tracing his finger around his daughter, who was about ten in the picture. "Soon we will be together."  
The door to his office opened, revealing a short man with funny blonde hair and a moustache.  
"Dr. Laughton." the Duke said, standing. "Is she finished yet?"  
"Yes, almost." answered the doctor. "Miss Luana asked for a few minor instruments to be put in, but the unit will be ready by tommorow at noon."  
The Duke nodded.  
"I am a very impatient man when it comes to her, Laughton. I want her to be completed by midnight tonight."  
"But sir--"  
"Don't make such remarks twoard me! I'm paying for her and providing your facilities, you should speed up production when I say, even if you have to work the entire day finalizing her! Do you understand? And what did Luana ask for? She's been acting strange lately."  
"She asked me to put a small security device in, that's all. She said she didn't want 'It' to be damaged maliciously."  
"'It' is a she. I want you to tell her that when she comes around."  
"Yes, sir."  
A knock came from the door of the Duke's office, and a young man, or a boy of sorts with brown hair wearing aviator sunglasses walked in. In fact, it was the same boy that had shot the robot. Dr. Laughton took one look at the boy and left the room.  
"Hello, father." said the boy. The Duke winced.  
"Don't call me that! I only adopted you after the--the...so don't flatter yourself. You've caused me enough trouble as it is."  
"After all those years, you still--"  
"There is no way I can forgive you."  
The boy hung his head.   
"I told you I was sorry so many times--"  
"It doesn't matter. What you took cannot be returned completely, Rock. Now leave. I do not want to discuss the matter anymore."  
At that, Rock turned around and headed for the bottom floor of Ziggurat tower four, where the laboratory of Dr.Laughton was.  
Even if the attention he got was negative, it was still attention, and he was not going to let that be taken away.  
  
*********  
  
  
After finishing their Loco Mocos at the closest L&L, Lilo and Stitch left for the Ziggurat, and were now climbing the stairs to the first floor of tower four. You had to climb stairs to the first floor! And even if they had been walking for a good ten minuets, they were still more than twenty-five percent from the end. Stitch was being lazy and was perched on Lilo's head, smiling. The building made for a nice sight when you were moving twoard it.  
"I could have sworn that the enterance steps were shorter." gasped Lilo. Stitch smiled even wider.  
"These aren't the main entrance steps. Look, we're almost there."  
  
********  
  
Rock entered the laboratory with ease, leaving the door open, seeing that he had clearance to all levels and areas of the Ziggurat, being both an honored resident and protector of the peace. It was then, that he saw it, in the middle of the floor. The doctor was buzzing about the tank that held it, adjusting knobs and pulling levers. Near the walls of the lab were computers and other random scientific items, all of which were getting somewhat dusty.  
"Laughton" Rock said. Th doctor turned and looked the boy in the eye.  
"What do you want?"  
"I know what I want."  
"That's not an answer to the question I gave you."  
"And what if I answered?"  
"I would have listened."  
"No, you wouldn't have."  
Rock pulled his pistol from its holster, shooting the doctor than many of the instruments around the lab. Explosions rang spilling vats of chemicals all over the place and several fires beagan...just like before. Running as fast as possible, Rock left the laboratory and headed for the exit of the building.  
"I...must...not...fail!" gasped Laughton, pulling on a red lever and dying rather quickly. A strange wail surged through the lab and the small figure in the tank began to stir...  
  
*********  
  
Lilo wheeled around as the robot-shooting-boy ran past them, a small explosion coming from farther up the stairs.   
"A terrorist!" gasped Lilo, putting her hands to her mouth in shock. Stitch wasn't as shocked, but was still a bit excited.  
"Well?" he said, "If anyone's in there, it would be best to get them out!"  
"Right!"  
The duo ran up the remainder of the stairs at top speed and somehow found their way into the building through the flames. Lilo was overcome by the sudden rush of heat, but still fine. It seemed as if the fire wasn't as bad as they had previously thought. It followed a pattern, and was confined to certain areas, which probably meant it was a chemical fire. It was when this conclusion was found that Lilo brought her shirt over her mouth and nose.  
"Look!" remarked Stitch, who was overall unnaffected by the fire. A directory mounted on the wall pointed to 'Laboratories' where the fire most likely came from. Lilo shook her head.  
"I can't stay in here!" she mumbled. "i'm going to get out; you go through the laboratories and find survivors...!"  
Lilo ran back down the hall and out the door to find a complete fire team getting ready to put out the blaze.  
  
Stitch opened several doors, finding nothing, until he came upon a door at the end of the hall. Inside, the fire was huge, and in the middle of it all was a naked little girl bathed in blue light, shivering. Stitch ran up to her, and tugged on her hand, telling her to come with him. She proceeded to follow the little blue alien, looking somewhat confused. Noticing that nobody else in the room was alive and the door was now blocked, Stitch headed for a window on the unburnt walls. It didn't have a bad drop, it only went about five feet to a little patch of grass and some bushes...letting the girl down first, he followed, hitting the ground with a thud. The girl sat next to Stitch, the light fading from her.   
  
Stitch nearly fainted at what he saw.  
  
********  
  
Lilo was franticly searching around the building for Stitch, asking everyone she say if they saw a little blue talking dog. Most people looked at her like she was crazy--the nicer ones said nothing. Coming around the first side of the building after twenty minuets, she passed the little garden-thing, and heard someone beckon her from inside. She stepped near the bushes.  
"Hello?"  
"Lilo, it's me."  
"Stitch?!" Lilo was about to go into the bushes when Stitch spat out a quick warning.  
"Don't come over here, you'll faint!"  
"Did you find a survivor? Are they that bad?"  
"No..it's..."  
"What?!"   
Lilo was annoyed. She could enter the bush if she wanted! But when she did enter the bush, she regretted ever doing so, because she did faint.  
And Stitch decided to go through her wallet.  
  
*********  
  
"Lilo? Lilo?"  
Stitch sat on Lilo's chest, trying to wake her up. He had carried her all the way back to the hotel after leaving for a quick moment to buy the little girl some clothes. (The shopkeepers were shocked)   
Lilo woke up, and smiled at Stitch.  
"Stitch, I had a dream that you were hiding in the bushes with Tima."  
"But I was!"  
"Oh, okay."  
"Lilo, look!"  
Lilo sat up, letting Stitch tumble to the bed, and looked around. Sitting at the table dressed in a coat and looking curiously at the room service menu was Tima, just as Lilo remembered her. Her hair was blonde and curly, somewhat darker than the Dukes', and her eyes were the same life-charged emerald green that Lilo remembered from when she was alive. The only thing that was different about this Tima was that she looked utterly confused at everything--she was now picking at a button on her coat, which still bore the tag from Stitch's rush to get the girls to the hotel.  
"Stitch, what...is Tima doing here? Let alone alive?"  
"I don't know." the alien answered truthfully, the room service menu hitting him square in the head not long afterward.  
  
*********  
  
The Duke pulled on his sheets, tense. Everything he had worked for was gone! Tima...no matter what, he couldn't reach her. No matter how hard he tried, some force stopped him from ever getting her back. Tears escaped from his eyes as he proceeded to rip his satin sheets to shreds. What was life without light?  
  
*********  
  
AN: Oh my gosh...I did this when I was tired! I'm so sorry...I just had to get it done with or else my head would have exploded.... the next chapter will be clearer. Tima, Tima, Tima. Tima's a fun character, you'll like her, she's always confused. All these refrences of her are plot devices! Sorry about the fire part O_O I think it's kind of off...I hardly write scenes like that... anyway, here's a bit more information!  
You probably found out how Stitch and Tima are alike--they were created. I've been writing a lot about her to make the plot smoother-- after this chapter there will be no more Tima memories or dreams!(Well, maybe a little, but they already have her with them, so...)  
I know that you havn't met miss Luana yet. You will.  
How confusing! Well, my notes are beginning to get out of hand, so I'll stop writing now.  
  
Thanks for reading!!  
  
*Loco Moco--(LOW-ko MOW-ko) Def.: A popular dish in Hawaii composed of a hamburger patty, rice, an egg, and gravy. Particularly delicious Loco Mocos are served at any L&L drive in, which are all over Hawaii. 


	3. A Day of Recollection

Chapter Introduction: From the confusion of the last chapter and into the general mellowness of this chapter! It goes pretty quickly (By my standards) and is toned-down. Several funny things happen here, to get away from the...well, you'll find out. Disclaimer can be seen last chapter.  
  
Let's begin!!  
  
***********  
  
The hotel room was a mess. And when I say mess, I mean mess. There were random brochures and torn pages strewn about the room, somewhat crumpled, there was water leaking from under the bathroom door, there were clothes and pillow feathers everywhere, and the mini-bar was cleaned out of everything but the alcoholic drinks. Not too far from it, Tima was munching on a Rice Krispies Treat, trying to get what she thought a disgusting taste out of her mouth, thanks to a small bottle of Remy Martin. Since then she had decided that she did not like alcohol.  
"Tima?"   
The door eased open, revealing both Lilo and Stitch, who went out to buy some clothes for Tima. They dropped their shopping bags at the sight of the room, and Tima looked up at them innocently, obviously confused by their reaction. Because of this, she stood up and dropped her rice treat trying to follow suit.  
"Tima.." Lilo said, picking up one of her favorite shirts. "What did you do?"   
"Do?" she replied arily.  
"What did you do, Tima?" Stitch interected, trying to sound stern. Tima just rocked to and fro while swinging her arms at her sides. She was confused again. Lilo sighed and took Tima's hand, making her sit on the bed next to her. Tima looked up at Lilo with a questioning look.  
"Tima, you see this?" she said, speaking slowly and pointing animatedly at the room so that the words would register in Tima's mind. "You don't do this."  
Tima nodded slowly, beginning to understand. Then she broke into tears.  
"Tima, what's wrong?" Lilo exclaimed, a bit shocked by the behavior.  
"Me...wrong! No do this no more! Pwomise!"  
Silence overtook the room afterward, except for a sniffle here and there. Stitch sighed and climbed onto the bed next to Tima.  
"Tima." he calmly said. "Do you remember much?"  
"Remember?" the girl repeated, completely over the fact that she did something wrong. A thinking look came over her face. "Daddy."  
  
  
*********************  
  
A young woman, that had to be at most seventeen, paraded up the hall, destined for Duke Red's office. She wore a military uniform that was one size too tight, had blazing red short hair and light blue eyes. In her arms a file was held, bearing random military data.  
  
She just wanted to see the Duke, after all.  
  
Pushing the door to the office open, she found the somewhat depressed Duke randomly sketching on a huge sketch pad. His hair was in a mess and his eyes had gone quite lifeless.  
"Miss Luana." he said, placing his stick of charcoal down. "I wasn't expecting you."  
The girl looked over the desk and at the sketchpad, bearing several pretty detailed sketches of Tima amidst random drawings of the Ziggurat. When the Duke was depressed, he got very artistic.  
"Is something wrong?" Luana asked, resting on the desk.  
"Tima is gone." the Duke replied blankly. Luana made her way around the desk and next to the Duke, bending a little so she could look at him from the side.  
"She can be rebuilt."  
"It takes a year to create--"  
"Why don't we forget about dead little girls and think about living, breathing big girls?" Luana put her arms around the Duke, who shifted somewhat nervously. Smiling, she bit down on the Duke's ear. He jumped.  
"Miss Luana--Ow! What are you...?"  
Laughter filled the office on Luana's part, followed by an annoyed groan from the Duke.  
"Miss Luana, I do not appreciate you doing things like that." he said sternly, returning to his sketch pad and pushing the young woman away. Luana edged away from the Duke, looking falsely hurt.  
"Why, Dukie, I was trying to be nice." she whined, forcefully taking the Duke's hand in one swift movement. He pulled back.  
"Miss Luana Celeste, you are dismissed."  
"But--"  
"You are dismissed."  
Luana huffed and left the office, bumping into Rock some way down the hall.  
"Hello, Rock." she said, smiling. Rock smiled back.  
"He still hasn't caught on?"  
"Nope." replied the redhead. "He still doesn't respond to my advances. I guess I'll have to try a different approach, then we can be a happy little family without a stupid little brat tagging along."  
Rock was almost beside himself with joy.  
"Do you remember the fire I told you I set the other day?"  
"Yhea?"  
"There was a girl that ran out of the building, as I was told by the firedifighters. It just so happens that she's this one girl that lived in the same neighbeorhood as me when we all were younger. Her name was Lilo."  
"Lilo? The Pelekai girl, with the dog you told me about? Well, that information is pretty useless, but something might come up."  
"Oh, I think something will. I saw her and that freaky dog get away with...it."  
"Oh..."  
"Well?"  
"That's kind of a good thing, since I have another big plan."  
"What is that?"  
"It's a surprise. But either way, we have to get that thing back, because it's essential to my little creation."  
"Little creation?"  
"I told you, it's a surprise."  
"Oh...Luana?"  
"Yes?"  
"Do you think he isn't responding because of your age?"  
"Oh, I'll get him to respond, Rock. I'll get him to respond."  
  
*************  
  
  
  
Stitch sighed and went running off after Tima, who was slowly regaining speech. She was dressed in a light blue baby doll dress, and had on black rubber slippers, chasing after a bird.  
"Tima!" the alien yelled, still running after the girl. She stopped dead and turned to Stitch, who had tripped foward at the sudden stop.  
"Stitch, I remember more things now." she said triumphantly. "Daddy's name was Duke Red. His real first name was Alexander."  
There was some silence.  
"Alexander?" repeated Stitch, somewhat shocked. He always thought the Duke was just...the Duke. "But--"  
"Everyone likes to call him Duke Red because it's better than Alexander. Yes, Duke Red fits him better...he's a leader. Where's Lilo?"  
Lilo came jogging over, looking very disheveled.  
"Do you guys know the meaning of wait?! Geez, I run, and I run and I run...you aren't even tired!"  
"Lilo!" Tima exclaimed. "Lilo, I remember you too! I'm remembering lots of things. See, I can do this!"  
Tima rolls around in the grass then sits up, proud of herself. Much silence follows this random act.  
"Tima, do you want to get something to eat?" Lilo says, picking Tima up. Tima nods.  
"Where?"  
"Wherever you want, I guess." replies Lilo.  
  
***********  
  
Stitch is waiting outside of a very, very, VERY upscale resturaunt. Inside, Lilo and Tima are going over the menu.  
"Tima..." Lilo says, looking worried. "There's nothing under thirty dollars on this menu..."  
Tima nods.  
"I know. Daddy used to take me here when he'd let me come see what he was working on."  
A waiter came up, looking pale. He was obviously 'Tripping' over Tima.  
"M-Miss...are you really Tima Red?"  
"Why, yes."  
"Then what is the Duke's favorite flower!?"  
"He loves white roses..."  
"He never told that to anyone but me! Anyone!"  
"Are you Jerry? I was there when he told you, remember? I accidentally spilt my juice on you. Oh, yhea, sorry."  
The waiter turned pale and ran off, screaming. Tima and Lilo looked at each other and laughed.  
"Lilo, why is everyone afraid of me?" Tima asked. "I don't look harmful, do I? And where's my daddy?"  
"Actually..." Lilo said, "That's really hard to explain. Like why I look older, and everything seems so new to you."  
Another waiter came around, and shakily asked for the girl's orders. Tima was the first, and she didn't order anything lunchlike, that's for sure.  
"I'd like a banana split with no whipped cream and extra hot fudge...wait, extra hot fudge and no whipped cream, with with french fries and a glass of ginger ale."  
"W-We don't have that..." the waiter said. "but o-of course, anything for the D-Duke's daughter...and y-you, miss?"  
Lilo smiled.  
"I just want a plate of cut fruit."  
"Will that be all?"  
"Yes."  
The waiter almost ran away from the table, clutching his checkbook for dear life. About ten minutes later, he came back with the food, placing it gently on the table.  
"On you father's tab, Tima?"  
"Yes sir! Oooh, this looks good...thank you!"  
"Yourwelcomemisstima." the waiter said, running back into the back, where the offices were. He immediately picked up the phone and dialed the Duke's office.  
"Hello?" The Duke's voice was still depressed.  
"Um, Duke Red...there's a girl her, claiming to be Tima...but the thing is, she looks exactly like her! Like a ghost! She even ordered miss Tima's usual!"  
"Really? Tell her to stay there, I'll be there soon!" there was a ray of hope in the Duke's tone of voice upon hearing about his daughter.  
"Sir, you don't really think that this girl--"  
"She is Tima! I know she is! Just...just hang up!"  
  
Click.  
  
*************  
  
Lilo and Tima left the resturaunt, still giggling about how everyone treated Tima like some sort of mob boss.  
"Tima." Stitch said. "Lilo and Tima. What are you laughing about?"  
"The..." giggled Lilo, "The waiters were acting like Tima was going to shoot them or something!"  
Lilo and Tima broke into a fit of laughter.  
"I've remembered much more than I thought I could...thank you."  
The group headed back for the hotel--the day was going their way.  
  
*************  
  
The waiter ran back to the table to find that the girls had left, and almost commited suicide on the spot. The Duke ran through the door in all his depressed-hopeful glory, looking at the waiter.  
"Where is she?"  
"I think she left while I was on the phone, Duke Red... she was right here with another girl--"  
"Another girl? How'd she look?"  
"Well, hawaiian, with long black hair and brown eyes...she was around eighteen, I'd say--"  
"That's Lilo! Why, if I had known she was here...Tima probably escaped from the fire and come upon her somehow...what luck! I'll just find Lilo and everything will be fine. She's like a second daughter to me, you know, but I havn't seen her since the...you know...when I moved away?"  
"The fire?"  
"Yes...well, I'm going to search the hotel records and try to find her--she doesn't live here, I know that..."  
"But how can you be so sure?"  
"Its been twenty-four hours. She wouldn't stay with a stranger, now, would she? That's my Tima."  
  
**************  
  
Luana sat at her desk, a crystal globe in her hands.  
"The world in my hands...soon, everything will be perfect... when I get that little brat-thing back in my hands, it will be time. The Duke won't even know what hit him...It'll be...my little surprise..."  
  
***************  
  
AN: Well, what did you think? This was a very mellow chapter. And quite frankly, I don't think there's anything else to say on that matter. Miss Luana...there's something for you to think on. An enigma.  
Well, I'm out.  
  
Thanks for reading!! 


	4. A Caustic Nightmare Built by Dreams

Chapter Introduction: Here you have it--a very, very, very eventful chapter, that I think is like this...let's say there are ten stars between each rating...this chapter's like PG-13*** and 1/2*. I won't tell you why, but you probably already know. It isn't so bad that the rating has to change, but it's pretty...unpleasant. Well...I think you can handle it, reader!  
  
Let's begin!!  
  
Rock entered the Duke's office, suprised to find him clean-cut and working on a laptop computer, obviously looking for something. What's more, he was smiling.   
"Hello, Rock!" The Duke chirped. "You lost."  
"What do you mean?" the boy said.  
"She's coming home, where she belongs, and there's nothing you can do about it."  
"She's dead."  
"She's alive."  
"Whatever. Luana's coming to visit you again today, she says she has a present for you."  
"Is this correct? Well, that's nice, as long as she doesn't--oh! Here we are...Lilo Pelekai, staying at the Hilton. I'll go visit her later, she's down for two weeks. Rock, you are dismissed."  
Rock left the room, grunting. He was getting more and more fed up with this. Tima, once again, was taking all of his attention.  
  
************  
  
Lilo sighed as she relaxed in the jaccuzzi, thinking about how she would break it to Tima that she was actually dead. It would be hard, of course, to go up to someone and tell them that they had been dead and gone for five years. And did the Duke know about Tima? Lilo wasn't sure. She had lots of questions that needed answering, and none of them would be answered during her little whirlpool bath. Unexpectedly, Stitch and Tima came walking up to the jaccuzzi. Tima was somewhat pale, and was blinking excessively.  
"Tima had a bad dream..." Stitch said, winking. "Tima, why don't you tell Lilo what you dreamed about?"  
Tima fiddled with her dress.  
"Well...I had a dream that there was a fire...and I was trapped...and nobody was there to save me..." her eyes got larged. "And I died!"  
A somewhat stunned silence overtook the group.  
"Lilo, did I...really die? Is that why all of this is so strange? And if I did die...why am I here?"  
  
***********  
  
Luana was getting ready to go up to the Duke's office in the women's restroom. In her hands was a tiny vile holding a clear liquid. She laughed, smiling at her creation. One way or another, she would not be defeated. Putting the vial into her bag, she made her way to the elevator and the Duke's office. Another woman was in the elevator.  
"Are you going to see the Duke?" she asked, smiling. Luana nodded.  
"I have a gift for him, actually. I think he'll like it."  
"Really? Oh, it is hard to please the Duke."  
"You're telling me..." Luana mumbled, leaving the elevator and walking down the hall to the Duke's office.  
  
**********  
  
Tima was confused again, because Lilo would not answer her. It wasn't that farfetched...was it?  
"Tima, I really don't know what's going on...you'll just have to wait for an answer to that question because I did think you were dead."  
Tima gave this some thought, but only confused herself more.  
"Lilo, can we get off the subject? It's confusing me too much. Can I have a smoothie?"  
"I guess so. The waitress will be around again soon."  
Stitch sratched his head and looked Tima over.  
"Tima." the alien said. "Do you remember what Duke Red was working on?"  
Tima pointed at the huge building just in view even that far away.  
"The Ziggurat. I'm actually suprised he completed it! There was that little thing with that genius girl Luana designing some sort of top secret thing to go on top of it that not even daddy could know about...I heard her talking about it. She said that it reacts on a computer trigger."  
"What does it do?" asked Stitch.  
"How should I know? I just told you, it was top secret. That's all I heard about it."  
  
**********  
  
Duke Red was resting somewhat peacefully at his desk, looking at some nice artwork on internet, when there was a knock on the office door.  
"Come in." he said, somewhat preoccupied. Miss Luana came through the door, smiling.  
"It's me." she said. "I got you a little present."  
"Oh?"  
She turned away from the Duke, preparing a syringe quite quickly with genuine military percision. She truned around and went next to him, again, putting her arms around him.  
"Miss, Luana, I recall--"  
The Duke winced, feeling a prick in his arm. Luana held him tighter as he began to go limp.  
"Luana...y...ou...what..." he said, his eyes going glassy as he went completely out of it.  
"I call it Liquibond...do you like it, Dukie? You can hear everything I say, see and feel everything around you by ten fold...but you can't move. Isn't it amazing?"  
The Duke remained limp in Luana's arms, staring into nothing. But you could tell that he was processing the whole ordeal in his mind and was not happy.   
Luana kissed him softly.  
"The revolution will begin."  
  
*********  
  
Tima sipped dantily on her smoothie, looking around the pool with interest. Stitch was munching on some pepperoni pizza from Round Table Pizza, and Lilo was thinking.  
"Stitch." she said, "I have the most awful feeling that really bad things are going to happen today."  
"Really?"  
Yup."  
There was a bored air around the trio as Tima sipped on her smoothie again.  
  
*********  
  
Rock laughed as Luana spun on the Duke's chair, right in his lap.   
"The computer says that they are in the Hilton Kapa tower, thirty third floor." the young secretary of defence said. "They should be easy to find. Why don't you go look for them while I spend some quality time with mister Red here?"  
Rock smiled.  
"Why, of course, Luana."  
Luana looked at the Duke, giving an evil smirk.  
"We're going to have so much fun, Dukie!"  
  
*********  
  
The trio made their way to the hotel room, still somewhat calm and confused. When they entered the room, they were shocked to find Rock sitting on the bed, smiling.  
"Hello...Lilo."  
"Rock! Since when...weren't you adopted by the Duke after the fire?"  
"Yes, I was taken away from my parents after the fire because they thought that they had set the fire...but I did. I killed Tima."  
There was silence.  
"But...why?" Lilo said, looking somewhat shocked. She turned to Tima, who just looked crushed.  
"I wanted the Duke all to myself. After that one day he took me with him to see his office, I wanted him to be my father--mine and nobody else's. I wanted to be in a family with him--you know, just a mom, a dad, and their beloved son. But nooo...he paid almost no attention to me, setting his daughter first. As you can tell, this drove me to the breaking point." Rock smiled even wider. "That's when I met Luana. One day when I came to the Duke's house, and she was there taking the Ziggurat plans away...I was kind of shocked, she looked as if she was only twelve. I could tell that she was crazy about the Duke, how she smiled and blushed in his wake...we spent some time together and hatched out our master plan. But that's not for you to know. I'm just here for Tima 2.0, after all."  
Tima stepped foward, confused.  
"2.0? Killed? What do you mean?"  
"You're not really Tima, you know. I don't even know why father thought that you would come even close to the original brat..."  
"But I am Tima! I've always been Tima, since I was born! I remember everything--"  
"Nothing but a bunch of programs!"  
"No, I'm sure I'm really Tima! I remember everything!"  
"You know what? Maybe you are Tima, because nobody wants you and nobody cares about you!"  
"I--Lilo--"  
"Shut up. You know what? I'm leaving, because I don't want to deal with you. I thought that I got rid of you, but no such thing seems possible."  
Rock stomped out of the room, his mission unaccomplished.  
  
But he did make a family cry.  
  
***********  
  
Duke Red was distraught, cowering in a corner. His eyes were red and he was half-dressed and sweating, looking as if he had just run some sort of awful desert marathon. He was running his hands through his now very messy hair, mumbling softly as Luana sat at his seat and laughed.  
"Hey, Dukie, tell me again...who are you taking to the final celebration ball tommorrow?"  
"Y..youu." the Duke said, slurring. His head fell foward and he began screaming and sobbing, hitting at the floor. He looked up somewhat triumphant and confused, obviously trying to find Luana, who took another vial out of her bag and nodded gladly at it, the cloudy looking substance almost greeting her with some sort of spunk.  
"Ketamine Hydrochloride...it never lets me down. Wasn't it a good after-liquibond snack? And I'll tell you again, mister Red...if you tell anyone...absolutely anyone about this little affair...I'll see to it that you are taken care of. And you know that it would be such a shame to do something like that to a man as promising as yourself...and plus, nobody would believe you. And if you're wondering how I would know that you've told, I'll tell you one thing--bugged."  
Rock entered the room.  
"Luana? Luana, you didn't do anything too bad to him, did you?"  
"No...he's fine. Why don't you have the trigger?"  
"Trigger?"  
"Tima, you idiot. Where is it?"  
"Oh...that. Well, I kind of left before--"  
"Never send a boy to do a woman's job! Rock, do you know the gravity of the situation we are now in?! They'll probably switch hotels, or even flee! That cannot happen at any cost!"  
Rock gave a look of understanding.  
"Yes, mother."  
"That's my boy...now...why don't we hatch another plan? One to get my trigger back?"  
"That would be great."  
The two left down the elevator, destined for the parking lot where an Aston Martin was waiting to transport them.  
  
  
***********  
  
  
  
Lilo and Stitch kept Tima close as they started up the entrance steps to the Ziggurat. They now knew for sure that they had to see the Duke, and they had to do it right away. Just as they entered the gigantic glass doors at the front, a blue Aston Martin passed by on the front road, undetected.  
"Wow..." Lilo exclaimed. The Ziggurat entrance hall was just as she dreamed it--beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Semiprecious stones of every color glistened on the walls and floors, intricate bronze inlay designs littlering them with humble beauty. Lilo even noticed a beautiful painting on the ceiling dome--obviously done by the Duke in his signature weathered style--of Tima, Lilo, and Stitch as ultra- realistic angels. The only differences were that the hair on the girls was much longer and they were women, and Stitch was white and gold...it was an interesting picture to look at, since the Duke never liked doing realistic paintings of people he knew.  
"Lilo." Stitch said, pulling on Lilo's pants. "The receptionist wants to know who you want to see."  
"You spoke to her already? How quick...you know who we want to see."  
"I'll tell her."  
This time, Lilo and Tima followed. Stitch hopped up onto the desk (A very large and fancy one at that) and pointed to the two girls. The receptionist nodded, and picked up her phone.  
"Who?"  
"Duke Red, please." Stitch said, smiling. The receptionist nodded and dialed the Duke's office, convinently located on his own floor.  
  
**********  
  
The Duke had crawled back to his desk and seated himself in his chair, vomiting over the side. After sputtering some, he turned to his phone which was now ringing. He weakly picked it up.  
"He...hello?"  
"This is Perra, the lobby receptionist. There are some...people here that want to see you. Um...the adult is named Lilo Pelekai...do you know her?"  
"S...send her up."  
"Is something wrong sir?"  
"Nothing...I'm sure..that...just send..her up."  
After hanging up, the Duke passed out on his desk.  
  
**********  
  
Lilo, Stitch, and Tima headed up in the elevator, still marveling at the beauty of the Ziggurat. Tima was hypervenitlating, excited about finally seeing her father again. No matter what Rock told her, she believed that she was Tima. And so she was. The elevator door opened, and the trio headed down the hall to the office of the Duke. His doors were huge, but didn't require much moving. They all gasped at what they saw.  
"Duke Red!" gasped Lilo, rushing to the side of the unconscious man. After some shaking, he opened his eyes and looked up to Lilo.  
"Li...Lilo..." he said. "I'm so glad you're here...my, you've grown..."  
"What happened?" Lilo asked, trying to hold the Duke up.  
"N...Nothing. It's just a bug, that's all. I'm kind... of sick right now..."  
He almost passed out again, when Tima ran up to him, throwing her arms around him and crying.  
"Daddy! Daddy, I found you! What happened? Daddy, what happened?"  
The Duke weakly put his arms around his daughter, struggling to breath correctly, and struggling not to cry.  
"Tima..." he whispered. "You're back...I'm so happy you've come back safely..."  
He passed out again in his daughter's arms, and he shaked him back to normality again.  
"A favor..." he said. "Open the second drawer in my desk, and you'll find three tickets to the...final celebration ball. Very formal. And until I feel that you should leave, you will stay here in the Ziggurat..."  
The Duke vomited over the side of his chair again, and Lilo had to hop backward, noticing that she had already stood in...well, you know.  
"You are SO not okay, Duke..."  
The Duke looked up at Lilo and blinked.  
"Yes...right. I'll just call...I'll just...you know, you...you can all follow me...yhea."  
The Duke stood, staggering some. He was somewhat tall, somewhere around six-foot five, yet Lilo caught him and attempted to hold him up. The Duke muttered a quick thank you and led the Trio to a pretty large room.   
"Daddy, have you been drinking? You've never drank before...is something wrong?"  
"No, Tima...I said...I'll never touch more than one glass...this is...I've got...something..."  
The four of them nearly fell into the room, and Lilo let go of the Duke, who staggered over to one of two beds and lay down. Lilo smiled and dragged Stitch over to the couch as Tima followed him.  
"Tima." the Duke said, smiling through the clouds that that horrible day had brought him. "I'm so happy you're back."  
"I'm happy to, but...was I created? Rock told me..."  
"I know what happened. He went after you again, didn't he?"  
"Yes...but he said that I died, and I'm not the real Tima. But I feel..like Tima. Because I am Tima, right? It would be impossible for me not to be Tima, becasue I am Tima, and I wasn't created, right?"  
"Tima, don't bother me with...with...scientific matters...all that really does matter is the fact that you...you're here with me when I need you the very most. You were the one I dedicated this Ziggurat to...all the progress I have made...is inspired by you. And even if I do get sick....and even if I do leave tempor...temporarily, and you can't find me, I'll always be there. Tima, it is not a question of what is real and created...it is a question of what you feel in your heart. For if you have found your heart, you have found that you are truely real, and in me, you will find your heart, along with the heart of a man who has lost so much...but gained so much more...Tima...you are whatever you say you are, and nobody can tell you different."  
At that, the Duke passed out once again, laying next to his daughter, who was deep in thought.  
  
A smile crossed her lips as she came to a conclusion.  
  
So she was real...  
  
***********  
  
AN: Wow...okay, that was a very eventful chapter. But it doesn't stop there! The story is still far from over. Luana keeps getting more out of hand with each step in her plan being completed, and Rock just gets crazier...Tima gets more confused, and out heroes...they get confused along with Tima. And the Duke...well, you try and figure out what he's gonna do, the poor guy...well, that's all for my notes.  
  
Thanks for reading!! 


	5. The Corrupt Mind of Luana Celeste and In...

AN: Hello, this is your author...welcome to chapter five. Today, in our little chapter, this fiction will get a little surprise, and I'll reply to your reviews!   
  
Let's begin!!  
  
Lilo awoke firmly clutching Stitch on the couch, not in the least pid suprised to see Duke Red and Tima cuddled up to one another, the man surrounding the young girl in his long-forgotten embrace. It had seemed as if the after effects of the ketamine hydrochloride had worn off, and he was very much so better.  
"Stitch." Lilo said, shaking Stitch softly. "Look."  
Stitch opened his eyes and glanced at the little, broken family clumped on the bed...but that was all they needed, right?  
"What time is it?" Stitch asked Lilo, who was stretching a little in her seat. She looked at her watch and was suprised to find that it was three o' clock in the morning. Had they really fallen asleep that early? Lilo gave a quick yawn and set Stitch on the floor, standing up. She made her way to Tima and the Duke, and softly putting her hand to the Duke's shoulder. He awoke even before she could actually touch him.  
"Hello, Lilo." He said. "I'm feeling a lot better now...say...wh--"  
"Three AM."  
"What? Oh...and I'm already rested...that can't be good, now, can it? Tima...Tima, it's time to get up. There are lots of things to do today...although we woke up a tad too early..."  
Tima opened her eyes and looked at her father, smiling.  
"I'm hungry." she said, almost immediately. "What's to eat?"  
"Did you feed her?" the Duke asked, looking up at Lilo.  
"She had a smoothie." the girl replied. "That's all we could fit in."  
The Duke nodded knowingly.  
"I suppose I should wake the maid and tell her to whip up a little something...you know, nothing special..."  
"How about belgian waffles with bacon and egg whites?" Tima asked, smiling brightly. Duke Red nodded, smiling along with his daughter and Lilo. That had always been a favorite to Tima...the girl had odd tastes.  
"I don't know..." the Duke said, jokingly. "We may have to eat dry cereal..."  
The reply was one large, conjoined 'Ewwwwww!!', followed by laughter. Lilo was more than happy to make a suggestion.  
"Why don't we spend the whole day together? The final celebration ball would be a great ending to a day, don't you think?"  
Stitch nodded enthusiasticlly.  
"Don't we need to get formal wear?"  
There was mumbling.  
"Well..." the Duke said, "I've had a dress for Tima ready ever since the middle of the Ziggurat construction...I've got a matching suit. But you guys...you guys need some...how do the young ones say it? 'Threads'."  
There was a small thread of giggles, then the Duke and his daughter-figure stood up off of the bed.   
"Let's get ready!" Tima yelped as her father rand his fingers through his now messy blonde hair. He did it again. And again.  
Then he screamed.  
  
*************************  
  
Luana hummed softly, brushing something pale yellow against her cheek...it turned out to be a lock of hair from the Duke. She sniffed it, smiling broadly. He was in her control, and there was nothing for him do to about it. That was enough to take her breath away...the poor, poor Duke...  
Another evil smile.  
How many ways could she hurt him? How many ways could she see him as half the man he really is...how many ways could she contort his will with the simple push of a thumb? Luana sighed...she was in heaven.  
"Mother?"  
Rock interrupeted the young woman's reverie, making her spin around somewhat defensively.  
"Oh, Rock...It's you. I was just thinking about the Duke..." Luana once again dragged the lock of hair against her cheek, going into some sort of euphoria. "You see, he's really a very sweet man...I don't want to hurt him...much. He's my canary...my little caged canary..."  
Rock nodded, smiling.  
"The ball is tonight." he said. "You're going with father, right?"  
"That's true...he's going to be beautiful, Rock...so beautiful...listen, why don't you run along? I'm...busy."  
  
************************  
  
Tima spun around in the sleek, full-skirted pale gold gown her father prepared for her. It was made of very fine silk, and shimmered softly, almost glowing.  
"Daddy..." Tima whispered. "It's...beautiful!"  
The Duke himself was changing into his tuxedo, making sure it still fit properly.  
"I bet you can't wait to use it on the dance floor, Tima!" Lilo said, smiling widely. Tima nodded.  
"I've got nobody to dance with..." she said. The Duke shook his head.  
"What, I'm not good enough for you?"  
"Oh, daddy...I'll always dance with you!"  
Lilo looked down at Stitch, who had found a bow tie and was trying it on and humming 'Puttin' on the Ritz'.   
"What are you doing?" Lilo giggled. Stitch looked up at her.  
"N...just...Nothing." he quickly took off the tie. "Where do you plan to get your dress?"  
"Prada? Armani? I don't know...I can't afford stuff like that!"  
The Duke turned to Lilo and smiled.  
"Who said that you needed to afford stuff like that when Duke Red is around?"  
"You mean..." gasped Lilo.  
"As soon as the mall opens I'm getting you a new wardrobe. It's the least I can do, after you brought Tima back to me."  
Lilo went into dream mode.  
  
Before she knew it, she was humming 'Puttin' on the Ritz'.  
  
*********************  
  
Luana was giggling again. Thousands of pictures surrounded her, pinned sloppily to the walls, all of the same person--Duke Red. Where there were no pictures there were little things, like little parts of cloth and wrinkled papers, all next to their respective photo. In the center of the wall furthest from the door there was a desk holding the most precious of objects--a sterling silver pen that the Duke had given her for christmas the year before Tima died, a drawing of herself made by the Duke, and that one lock of hair. Around these objects five jewel-like bottles were neatly arranged, all containing different drugs. In the first one on the left, a soft etched blue bottle with the label 'Freindship' was her first creation, a liquid that could drive amounts of oxytocin through the roof. Next to that was a deep red bottle, labled 'Infatuation'--a creation that could inexplicably leave you attatched to the first person you see after ingestion. On the left, there were two well known drugs, both in frosty-looking light blue bottles. They were Luana's favorites, gamma hydroxybutyrate and ketamine hydrochloride. But the center bottle, a very pretty frosted white bottle inlayed with silver, held Liquibond--yes, Liquibond, that fateful drug that held the Duke helpless...  
"Someday, I will make everyone see. The world is not meant to be equal, there are the dominant and the submissive. The dominant rule and the submissive crawl...and the dominant do indeed rule because of their immunity to true feeling. That is why I am the one who will take this world. That is why I am the one who will make this world immobile. That is why I am Luana. Even in this early hour, I think. I think...and I think to take."  
  
*********************  
  
Five. Five in the morning, and there was nothing to do but wait for everyone else's day to begin. Lilo and Stitch were flipping through random magazines, looking at various dresses and things, trying to get an idea of what Lilo might want. Duke Red and Tima were talking about how the ball would be. That's when everyone came upon the same realization at once--Lilo didn't know how to dance! A blush came over Lilo's face as she turned to the others, who had turned at the same moment.  
"what kind of dancing will there be?" Lilo asked, grabbing hold of Stitch and twisting his arms playfully. He protested at first, bet decided to let the girl go.  
"There will be waltzing...Lilo, surely you know how to waltz..."  
"Huh? No..."  
There was a small silence.  
"i'm going to call an instructor." the Duke said, somewhat quickly. He made his way across the room to a phone, and dialed the receptionists' desk.  
"Hello? Perra? Ah, you're up. I need a dance instructor, fast... Alright."  
There was a small holding period.  
"There's only one place open right now? Well, call them! Have them send their best instructor here!"  
There was more silence for about five minuets.  
"Perra? Alright. His name is...her?! Alright, what's her name? Adalaide Herring? Thank you. We'll be waiting for her."  
  
***********************  
  
Adalaide Sarah Herring was jolted from her nap by the dancemaster at her studio, who directed her to leave for the Ziggurat--the receptionist would tell her where to go. Now Adalaide was not a normal woman. She had very long messy light brown hair with a blonde streak going down the back and strange eyes--one was brown, and one was blue. She believed that she would aid in the eventual rescue of her prince, and was very confusing half the time. She was spontanious and did not like routine.  
"I shall go." she proclaimed, standing. She was wearing a strange princess-cut dress of pure white, green shorts, and had a fake wreath of white roses in her hair. The strong smell of heavy rose scented perfume hung around her. She strode out of the dance studio like a soldier, smiling widely, her dress flowing mysteriously behind her. The dancemaster watched her leave.  
"That Adalaide...I'll never understand her."  
  
***********************  
  
Luana carressed herself in the corner of her shrine, sweating profusely. Her breathing was fast, and her eyes darted around the room quickly as she rubbed her arms together.  
"Has no one told you she's not breathing..." she sang, a crazed look about her. "Hello..." Here eyes shone some sort of freaky, murderous fascination as she held her silver pen close to her heart.  
"I know you love me...I'll make you love me...you will love me..."  
She continued repeating herself, rubbing her arms together and clutching the pen.  
This is how she decided to ready herself.  
  
***********************  
  
Lilo picked at a random thread on her shirt, waiting for this mysterious dance instructor to arrive. The Duke looked from her, to Stitch, to Tima, then downward, when there was a knock on the door. Lilo stoof up and opened it, revealing a strange woman who charged in hurridly.  
"I am Adalaide." she said. "I am the instructor." she picked up stitch, and looked him over.  
"Put me down!" the alien yelled, batting at Adalaide.  
"Do you need to learn to dance?" she said, tilting her head to one side. She dropped Stitch and turned around to everyone else.  
"Do you all need to learn how to dance? How about salsa? The tango, perhaps?"  
Duke Red shook his head and pointed to Lilo, who was holding Stitch and massaging his head with one hand.  
"What do you need to know?"  
"The waltz..." Lilo muttered. Adalaide nodded, and grabbed Lilo, dragging her to the center of the room.  
"Duke Red, I'll have you and that little girl come over her too. Now, what's the first song?"  
"First song? At the ball? Let's see...the Rose waltz!"  
Adalaide smiled, and the Duke found himself blushing.   
"Alright!" the odd woman announced. "One...two...three!"  
The dance started out slow and somewhat peaceful, with soft and elegant spinning. Lilo felt odd dancing with another girl, but she guessed it was alright...Stitch stood by, watching. Tima and the Duke were obviously enjoying each other's company, and danced seamlessly. Then what seemed like the climax came, and Lilo felt like she was being thrown around rather than danced with, Tima ended up dancing with her, Duke Red began fumbling dangerously while dancing with Adalaide, and Stitch was in stitches at their antics.  
"Why are you stumbling?! I saw you dancing with Tima, you're a wonderful dancer!"  
Duke Red was almost literally Duke Red, seeing how much he was blushing in Adalaide's wake. He wasn't even very sure why he was so attracted to her...he just was. And he did not like it. Lilo, on the other hand, was being led by Tima, who kept complaing that Lilo was much too tall.  
"You smell like roses!" the Duke said to Adalaide, struggling to keep in time.  
"I know." Adalaide replied, spinning. "I love roses. White roses in particular."  
  
******************  
  
AN: Horray! Fifth chapter! That means I must respond to all reviews--every five chapters I will do this. From the bottom to the top, as I always say! Woohoo!  
  
Chapter one reviews:   
  
Beboots: Yay! Future Lilo and Stitch fics have the most potential, not being within the boundaries of the original film. They allow for so much change...ah...a writer's dream...  
  
VOID99: I'm going to go over all your reviews in the chappy 4 reviews section--you haven't missed a chapter!  
  
Marcie Gore: Yes, the angst...you can't go wrong with it. I love writing it, it seems to flow so...naturally...like water, almost. There's more angst coming soon, believe you me.  
  
Lady Xiu Mei Pheonix: How nice! I live in Hawaii too, I know what I'm doing. Now, keep in mind that this fanfiction is set in the future--if you want to know what is going on, bother to read the rest of the fic. At the end of it, you will find the production notes, and it will tell you all kinds of stuff...you know...authory stuff...and by the way-- I'm making it so that the Ziggurat crushes the evil entity known as Central Middle School. Feel it.  
  
Chapter two reviews:  
  
Beboots: Actually, Tima the second (the created Tima featured in this fanfiction) is a semi-biogenetic android. The whole thing is much too hard to explain here, so you'll have to wait until the production notes for the Tima lowdown. And yes, Tima was in fact somewhat Illegal--everything's going to go crazy at one point.  
  
Tortured Artist: Hee hee hee...I think that Jumba would admire Tima's setup and overall structure, then say that it would be unfair for her. He and Laughton would get into a huge fight...Lol...that would be quite funny to watch...(Jumba: This is a really nice setup, but don't you think that this is kind of...unethical? Laughton: Unethical? What do you mean? Jumba: What would you think? Luaghton: I would be happy. Jumba: Shut up! You stupid.)  
  
Chapter three reviews:   
  
Tortured Artist: Hmm...you again are one of my faithful reviewers. Luana...hmm. Now you know what's going on with her, no doubt. I'd kind of like to know what you think of her, she's one of my first original characters, not to mention my first bad guy...or bad girl to be more correct. No, wait...really bad girl...Lol...She's just dirty, and a little crazy...well, maybe alot crazy...okay, she's totally out the window and over the moon. But what are you gonna do, eh?  
  
Chapter four reviews:   
  
VOID99: Yes, this is weird...I'm glad you like it! It's supposed to be weird...it's mostly werid because of the bad guys...because they're kinda crazy...now, who in the right mind sits in the corner of a room filled with pictures of their crush while stroking a pen? Nobody I know. Luana is...well...um...Luana is nobody you want to know. Much yaying! I have regular reviewers! Well, this is going to get weirder (Enter Adalaide, a new character...something tells me chapters are going to get longer!) I'm glad you like my humble little fiction! *Smiles* I hope you stick around for the rest of the ride.  
  
Tortured Artist: Yes, Rock is a murderer. A crazy murderer at that. Alright, a really crazy cold-blooded ruthless backstabbing murderer. He's scary...I think that I'd run away if I ever met him. You'll find out more about him at the end of this story (Which could very well end up being over twenty chapters long...and with Adalaide...woah...)  
That little speech is really sweet, yes. I was trying to think of what I would say if I was half drugged and I was talking to what could very possibly be my daughter and not a hallucination because I could touch it after five years of knowing she was dead. Did that make any sense at all? I think it did. Stick around, more stuff will happen... woah...  
  
An: Hey everyone! There's not very much to say here...except thanks! The fanfiction is FAR from over, as I had said before. Our heroes will face more crazy stuff, and our villans will decend farther into madness.  
  
Thanks for reading!! 


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